France’s crypto elite are tightening personal security after a disturbing wave of kidnappings targets the families of digital currency executives.
After watching harrowing footage of a prominent French crypto boss’ daughter being attacked on a Paris street during a failed kidnapping attempt, Alexandre Aimonino has changed how he lives his life.
The 23-year-old co-founder of a crypto compliance software company now avoids public transport, skips industry events, and alters his commute each day to stay under the radar.
“Working in the ecosystem feels like having a target on your back,” Aimonino said.
A wave of violent abductions has left French cryptocurrency executives reeling—gripped by fear and anger. While some are ramping up security and hiring private protection, others are advocating for a crackdown on violent crime and a loosening of crypto-related regulation to help erase the digital footprints that often make them targets.
In the most recent incident last week, a masked gang attempted to abduct the daughter of Pierre Noizat, CEO of French crypto firm Paymium. The attempted kidnapping took place in broad daylight and quickly went viral after horrified bystanders captured it on video. It was the third reported attack in just a few months.
Earlier this year in January, the co-founder of French crypto company Ledger and his wife were kidnapped in central France. Then in May, the father of another crypto executive was abducted in Paris.
Though all the victims were eventually rescued, both of the kidnapped men suffered gruesome injuries—each losing a finger.
During the Ledger incident, a ransom was paid in cryptocurrency, but French authorities later managed to recover the funds.
The identities and motives of those behind the attacks remain murky. After the Ledger incident, 10 individuals were taken in for questioning. Following the May kidnapping, police arrested seven people—two of whom were later released after being cleared of any connection.
Paris prosecutors confirmed that the city’s organised crime unit is actively investigating the incidents.
While cryptocurrency remains a niche sector within global finance, the recent surge in the value of digital assets like Bitcoin has created a class of newly wealthy individuals, drawing unwanted attention.
Security analysts say this rise in visibility—especially online—makes crypto figures appealing targets for organised crime, particularly due to the perceived ease with which crypto wealth can be hidden or moved.
“Crypto transactions are more likely to escape the level of scrutiny applied to traditional banking systems,” said Michael Lyons, a lawyer specialising in anti-money laundering at Clifford Chance.
Crypto’s ties to illicit activity aren’t new. It has long been a preferred method of payment in cyberattacks and ransomware cases, prompting regulators globally to increase oversight of the industry’s murky underbelly.
For some within the French crypto community, these attacks are part of a broader, more troubling pattern.
“The heart of the matter is … whether we know how to repress crime in this country,” said Pierre Noizat.
Eric Larchevêque, another Ledger co-founder, fears that rising violence could drive innovators out of France altogether.
“How many entrepreneurs, how many talented individuals, are seriously considering leaving a country that no longer protects its people?” he posted on X.
“How many have already left, silently, out of weariness, fear or resignation?”
In response to the growing anxiety, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau held talks last week with leaders in the crypto space, aiming to reassure them and lay out strategies for better protection.
Meanwhile, Paymium, Noizat’s company, has floated the idea of deregulation as a potential pathway to improving the safety of crypto founders.
As France’s digital currency sector grows, so too does its exposure to risks once thought confined to the dark corners of the internet—now unfolding on the boulevards of Paris.
